Tiny House On Wheels Workshops

Emmet (aka 'The Woodbutcher') recently completed his recycled and off-grid tiny house and will be bringing it along as part of a weekend series of three tiny house workshops, all taking place in both Melbourne and Sydney.

Workshop 1 which runs for a full day on Saturday will provide attendees with an introductory overview of tiny houses on wheels design and building theory. Sunday's Workshops 2 and 3 then build on Saturday's introduction, delving further into vital in-depth knowledge for those considering living self sufficiently in a tiny house off-grid, or utilising recycled materials in house construction. The workshops combine well as a package for someone wanting to know it all, or as individual components that are particularly relevant to you. If you book all three workshops over the Saturday and Sunday you can get a discounted ticket for $220.

Workshop 1: Intro to Tiny Houses on Wheels - (Saturday10am-5pm) - $120This one day intensive workshop will give applicants a big picture overview of the process and realities of designing, building and living in a tiny house on wheels. It is suited to beginners as well as more experienced folk, who are already getting close to starting a build themselves. If you thinking about purchasing or constructing a tiny house, this is the ideal opportunity to learn, see and feel what tiny homes can offer. The workshop will commence in the morning with a tour of the tiny house on wheels. Emmet will then walk you through the process he went through to design, plan and build his low cost tiny house, utilising mostly free second hand materials.

The workshop will cover the following areas:

Planning and design for tiny homes.

Choosing a trailer to build on.

How much money does it cost to build?

'Recycled vs. New' building materials.

Building a house yourself or employing a professional.

Off-grid tiny houses (solar, water and lifestyle).

Relevant regulations and laws in Australia.

Towing a tiny house on the road.

Tiny house communities in Australia - real examples.

Challenges and opportunities of living in a tiny house.

(*morning and afternoon tea included)

Workshop 2: Living off-grid in a Tiny House - (Sunday, 10am-1pm) - $60This workshop will provide a solid foundation for those wishing to design, construct and live in a tiny house (on or off wheels) and be totally or partially off the grid. Emmet's tiny house on wheels has been designed and built with an integrated system of off-grid features, to enable it to function either on or off the grid, eliminating the need for electricity and sewerage connections. The house will be at the workshop so that those attending can see and tinker with a real life example. The day will also draw on Emmet's experience of recently spending 18 month's living partially off the grid at Wurruk'an, an eco-village community in regional Victoria, providing a demonstration site which show-cases tiny houses, food production, off-grid infrastructure, environmental stewardship and a holistic community based approach to simple living.

The following topics will be explored in detail:

12v solar systems.

Small scale wind turbines.

Water collection and storage .

Hot water systems.

Grey-water.

Composting toilets.

Ecological responsibility - treading lightly.

Tiny house communities - infrastructure, legalities, ownership and social challenges.

(*morning tea included)

Workshop 3: Building with Recycled Materials: - (Sunday, 2pm-5pm) - $60This workshop will provide a solid foundation for those wishing to design, construct and live in a tiny house using recycled materials. Emmet's tiny house on wheels has been designed and built utilising approximately 90% recycled materials. The materials were selected to be light weight, long lasting and as cheap as possible, as well as being pleasing to the eye. The house will be at the workshop so that those attending can experience a real life example and study the materials and construction methods in detail.This workshop will combine Emmet's professional background of working with conventional construction and building standards, with his experience as a DIY builder over the past past 3 years, which have been spent designing and constructing numerous tiny house and other building projects around Australia, using a diverse range low cost recycled and earthen building techniques. Emmet is not a qualified builder or tradesman, but has hands on experience in carpentry, straw-bale, mud building, bottle walls, mechanics and metal work.

The workshop will focus on the following topics:

Designing with reclaimed materials.

Tiny House Trailers - New vs. Recycled.

Selecting the most appropriate recycled materials for a tiny house.

Which materials are you better off buying new?

How to effectively hunt and collect recycled building materials.

Material storage and processing.

Safety implications when collecting and reusing old building materials.

Emmet has spent a decade working in a diverse range of roles within local governments, community groups, not for profits, RMIT University and in 2014 wrote a Thesis on Tiny Houses on Wheels (THOW) in the context of Australian Town Planning Regulations.

He then hand built his own low cost tiny house on wheels from recycled materials, the majority being scavenged and recycled for free from demolitions, renovations, skip bins, tips and sawmills. The tiny house design incorporates the ability to thrive on or off grid, utilising rainwater, a wood fire heater, gas cooktop, and 12 volt solar energy. Construction of the house took place at Wurruk'an, an eco-village located in West Gippsland Victoria between 2015-2016. Part of the build process is included in the feature length documentary 'A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity'. You can watch the documentary for FREE here:www.wurrukan.org/web/film/​